The main protagonist of BioShock isn’t the player controller character, but the underwater, dystopian city of Rapture. While exploring, players discover devastating weapons, plasmids (magic attacks) and too many tonics (stat boosters) that leave little impact; it’s the city and the citizens that are the driving force for why you should move forward.

What is a Critical Hit!

Rapture is the heart of the story and your enjoyment with the game. Through taunting splicers (once sane citizens who corroded their minds with gene manipulation), audio-logs and environmental clues, the city has a mood and personality all its own. As players progress, you discover how the city was a shining beacon of libertarian ideals and ultimately fell due to internal strife and corruption. Every aspect highlights the ideals of free-choice and why this fantastical 1950’s metropolis was created. The loading screen offers clues to the history of Rapture and makes a traditional low point in games enjoyable; for example, "What would the Russian Bear and the American Eagle do if they discovered our paradise? Our secrecy is our shield!" BioShock manages to capture the feel of 50’s propaganda and ideals throughout the tutorial videos, HUD and character designs.

Characters in Rapture are twisted idealistic versions of the city itself. The father of Rapture built the city to escape governmental control and influence, now micro-manages the city and monitors everything. The chief scientist wanted to create new life, but instead found an effective way to kill. Through interactions with these characters, the player understands the history of Rapture and why it is falling apart. The actors bring forth personality and a sense of self-righteousness to the cast, who ultimately serve as guides to Rapture as well as being fully realized individuals.

Enemies are designed with distinct personalities and behaviors. There is a splicer who climbs walls like Spider-Man and constantly tries to outflank you. Another type teleports around the battlefield, creating a game of cat and mouse. Thugs charge with reckless abandon. All adversaries are clever and use the environment to their advantage, if you ignite a splicer on fire they will run to water and douse the flames. This creates an opportunity to then shock them with electricity for a light-show death. Surviving Rapture, especially on higher difficulties, is about leveraging the environment to your benefit.

The most memorable foes are the Big Daddy and Little Sister. The Big Daddy is a hulking beast whose footsteps echo throughout the level. When you first approach him, he will simply ignore you. Only if you fire first or there is a Little Sister to protect will his paternal instincts kick in. The Big Daddy is difficult to defeat and fleeing might be a wiser choice until you have a chance to increase your stockpile of weapons.

Firearms within BioSchock vary from one another and are more than a pallet swap. The revolver is accurate, but doesn’t deal much damage. The crossbow is deadly but requires a lot of time to reload. If you want to be up close and personal, the shotgun is your go to. Each of the weapons will work in most scenarios and the game will never force you to use one over the other outright, leaving players to choose the style that fits best.

The visual style of Rapture perfectly combines the gilt and glimmer of a futuristic fifty’s society with the rundown grime and grit which infected the city. But it is the sounds throughout that truly drive the message home. In rundown stores, previously recorded messages will crackle through loud speakers. The vending machines will mock players as they walk by like an overzealous street merchant. The enemies make plans in hushed whispers, scream incoherent threats or clank their weapons together to unnerve the player.

What is Not Very Effective…

The first two acts explore Rapture, its creation and downfall. The last act takes a turn as the protagonist’s back story is finally revealed in an exposition dump and the final boss’ motivations come to light. Some might find this twist in the narrative exciting and refreshing. I thought it was an out-of-nowhere game changer that was more distracting then engaging. There was no true setup, aside from a couple audio-logs, to have this plot decision carry any weight. With so many great side characters it is disappointing that the same personality couldn’t be transferred to the main character and antagonist.

The splicers can be creepy enemies who taunt the player with shrieking cries and death threats. BioShock is most gripping when you don’t know what will be around the next corner. Unfortunately, there are a few sections when wave after wave will rush in; one cleverly placed foe can be threatening and cause you pause but an endless supply is more of a distraction and time suck then a challenge.

Near the game’s end players will have fifty tonics and a handful of offensive weapons. Unfortunately, earlier gear is near useless as enemies health is ramped up and they become damage sponges. Choice can heighten a game but all of the tonics with their 10% boosts don’t seem to have much impact on the gameplay.

There is a minigame where players hack through security. This can be challenging and fun the first time. But when going through and having to hack every vending machine, camera, turret or safe it becomes repetitive quickly.

Status Summary

BioShock is best when detailing Rapture, setting a macabre mood, introducing delusional characters, taunting the player and using plasmids to interact with the environment. What holds the game back is the paper-thin motivations of some characters, wave of enemy encounters and lack of character-arc in the protagonist.

If you enjoy exploring environments, discovering side stories and don’t mind dispatching the same foes with a multitude of options than BioShock is an experience worth your time.

Score: 9.0 /10

+ Rapture is Fully Realized
+ Personality in All Aspects of Game Design
+ Offensive and Environmental Usage for Powers
+ Side Characters/Missions
- Protagonist has No Story Arc
- End-Game Combat is Repetitive

Trophy Analysis

Upon completing the game I earned 54% of trophies, this includes DLC not required for the Platinum. The most difficult trophy is to beat the game on Survivor without dying. I died multiple times on normal and can’t imagine slogging through the game, saving after every battle to try and meet this goal. Another barrier to entry is all the collectables, many of which are missable. Players need to locate every audio log, plasmid, tonic and weapon upgrade station. Unless you are able to scour each and every section with perfect precision, an open guide is required every step of the way. My normal playthrough was completed in about twenty hours; I could see the Platinum taking fifty hours to earn.

There is a reason why only 1.9% of players achieved the Platinum (36% finished the campaign) and I will not be joining their glorious ranks.

Level Up, Friends!

Chris enjoys all things videogames, comics, movies, long walks on the beach and talking to you. Feel free to join in the conversation by following him on IGN, Twitter and YouTube. For a complete listing of all his work check out NerdExp.

People are susceptible. The entire advertising industry is created around the principle that your opinion can be bought, or at least influenced. We are constantly bombarded by stimuli that impacts are purchasing decisions. Movie spots contain the most positive lines (sometimes manipulated and taken out of context) to let consumers know how great their product is. After a film’s initial release, there is almost always a “#1 in America” commercial that follows, because these are effective at driving ticket sales. If the media blitz of trailers, posters and articles can sway opinion what impact do reviews have on your enjoyment of a movie?

Reviews before Watching

Consumers actively seek reviews. Besides blurbs on commercials, if someone reads a review it is because they took the time to search for it. They are predisposed to have their opinion adjusted based upon the opinions of others. I remember being on the fence about seeing the Robocop reboot. I turned to Rotten Tomatoes to make my viewing decision for me. If the site said the film was fresh I would go, if it was bad I would avoid it. This is the worst way make a choice. By relying on the opinions of the majority we take away our individuality. Your tastes are your own and cannot be determined by the interests of the mob mentality. I am sure there are plenty of popular, well liked, Academy Award winning films that you don’t care for (my list includes Avatar, Citizen Kane and Frozen). You know what you will possibly enjoy better than the crowd, but by relying on reviews you trust someone else’s instincts over your own.

Expectations determine enjoyment. Our sense of how good a movie “should be” influences our enjoyment of the experience. Everyone has walked out of the theater, turned to their companions and said, “That was a lot better than I thought it would be” or “That did not live up to the hype.” Unless you are amongst the early adopters, or go on a media-blackout, your outlook is set by the film’s reception. Co-workers talking around the antiquated water cooler, opinions on Twitter and friend’s offhanded remarks about a film paint a picture of what you anticipate when the opening scene starts. It is a rare case that your opinions will blend perfectly with the collective’s, causing you to leave the theater with a slanted view of the film. This can cause a mediocre film to seem better than it truly is or a good movie worse, because it wasn’t great enough.

Critics detail the film. Most review sites go into detail about the film’s plot, character arc and plot twists when writing up their review. It is a difficult task to talk objectively, intelligently and coherently about a product without revealing anything about it. If there was a truly 100% spoiler free review it would read “It was good” and leave it at that. Critics need to go into greater detail in order to justify their opinion and profession. During this process they reveal facts about the movie which can ruin surprises; now that I know there is a twist in the narrative all I can do is watch the movie and try and guess what it is. They can point out flaws in the plot or performances, which if left to their own devices, movie goers wouldn’t have noticed. During a viewing, if the fan is thinking about the review instead of the film it will create a less enjoyable screening.

Reviews after Watching

Affirmation is the best opinion. It is hard to admit when we are wrong. When looking through evaluations of a film, fans will naturally lean towards opinions which are in sync with their own. Once we judge a film’s success it is difficult to update that mindshare. When combing through the internet for reviews people will find one’s that match their own, hold it up and point to it as an example “See, I was right.” This confirmation can be used to help a fan soapbox about the merits, or pitfalls, of a picture, but reviews can only be effective when people are willing to hear contradictory thoughts and be part of the conversation.

Analysis reduces enjoyment. Potentially humorous, as in Honest Trailers, but probably humbling is examinations that break down the essence of the film. Ideally the movie is more than the sum of parts, but when studying each piece individually we remove ourselves from the cohesive whole. If a film is enjoyable and fun then it shouldn’t matter that it doesn’t have the highest production values. Conversely, if the camera angles are interesting and the cinema photography unique, but the acting stale and the story derivative, it was still a bad movie. By pointing out individual directorial choices a review is placing a target on the movie. It is like when you nose starts itching, only because someone told you not to touch your face.

People turn to reviews because movies are expensive. The film industry continues to see year-over-year increases in profits and the price of X-Large Popcorn is not coming down anytime soon. To help consumers feel they are making an educated choice, they research critic’s opinions or listen to word of mouth. There is a trend to feel more positive about a movie when it is mediocre because people don’t want to admit that they wasted money and two hours on an “okay” movie.

Reviews Complement the Experience

Reviews and critics have a place in pop culture, but that spot in line is after the movie. By opening ourselves to other’s perspective we end up watching the movie through their eyes instead of our own. A good critic can discuss a movie’s qualities without revealing the story itself. They can objectively evaluate the film and raise questions a fan might not have thought of, they are able to start the conversation. Besides watching a film, my favorite part of the movie is that post-viewing discussion. If a review is able to bring a new perspective and assist the dialogue, than it is a success.

Absolutely nothing. That is what Microsoft accomplished with the reputation system since the Xbox One released in November 2013. All players score is currently “Good Player” and not a single infraction has been logged in the five months since launch. This will, supposedly, change as Microsoft begins sending notices and prescribes “punishments” for players who fall into the “Avoid Me” category. Will any of this deter bad behavior?

“It won’t penalize you for bad reports over a few weeks of play.”

A few weeks is a significant amount of time. Does this mean that a player can be a menace to society for a couple weeks, good for a week and back to bad habits and they won’t have their rating negatively impacted? Players interact with approximately five others per match and conduct multiple matches throughout a single night of online play. This provides hundreds of people for a bad gamer to impact through a few weeks. Online gaming is definitely a “one bad apple ruins the whole match” experience and these inconsiderate Johnny Appleseeds have the ability to ruin entire fields of encounters.

If people behaved and spoke to each other in the same manner inconsiderate players do through Xbox One, they could be sued for slander or thrown in jail for assault. Freedom of speech doesn’t imbue people with the right to intentionally threaten, insult or degrade another person. In society, if you cross the line once it is possible to have serious ramifications and punishments placed on you immediately. For the reputation system to be successful, Microsoft must be willing to do the same.

“The more hours you play fairly online…the better your reputation.”

It takes hours to create a good reputation but weeks to have a bad? This mentality allows players who are destructive online to continue a cycle of negative habits. Climbing out of an “Avoid Me” score needs to take time, longer than it took to earn a bad reputation, for there to be any true impact. Players need to feel the burden of their actions if they are going to be rehabilitated. Microsoft also needs to be transparent with how players earn reputation for it to be effective. If a player can earn “Good Player” standing quickly, then maybe players who are truly polite and respectful will only want to play with gamers who earned a maxed out green bar.

“Penalties…reduced matchmaking pairings and may be unable to use certain privileges”

The ‘punishments’ are weak and have no commitment to them. If Microsoft truly intends to treat the reputation system as something that matters, it needs harsher penalties. “Reduced pairings” doesn’t mean anything to me without context. I believe that “Good Players” should be paired exclusively with “Good Players” and “Avoid Me” with their own kind. If someone who is in “Avoid Me ” searches for a match and only “Good Players” are on the server…then there is no one for them to play with. I understand that people pay for Xbox One and feel they have a right to behave how they want, but if you are a loud obnoxious jerk on an airplane, they kick you out.

Microsoft is rolling out the reputation system to make people feel better about the state of interactions on Xbox One. Also, note that the messaging constantly says Xbox One only. None of these enhancements to the community will impact the 80 million Xbox 360 users. This system will probably accomplish very little, and even when people are marked “Avoid Me” they will be allowed to continue playing. In order to be successful Microsoft must have the guts to stand by their convictions:

Ban players who misbehave. Start with small times such as 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and progress to a lifetime ban.

Pair like players together. The matchmaking algorithms should put gamers who have a 100% satisfaction with others who meet the same criteria and work down till the worst of the worst are together.

Transparency. The current release doesn’t say what the results are for one infraction, how many hours are required to improve rating, if people can set matchmaking to auto-avoid negative players or how this will experience gameplay.

If the reputation system still manages to improve the perception of Xbox Live, even if it doesn’t do anything, expect to see a similar program on PSN in the coming months. Until then, try to be good for goodness sake.

Nostalgia Reviews highlight the greatest games of previous generations. The review is rooted in fond memories and appreciation of that era. There are times when memories differ from reality or modern techniques are superior to earlier design.

Mega Man came and went. Mega Man 2 was a smash hit as it’s refined controls, manageable difficulty curve and dynamic stages made developer Capcom a household name. It is arguably one of the best entries in the Mega Man franchise. An argument that many fans insist on losing time and time again because the true crown jewel in the blue bomber’s helmet is Mega Man 3.

MM3 contains the familiar gameplay fans came to expect. The blue bomber shoots enemies, but can’t touch them, jump on platforms and steal boss’ powers. He uses these liberated abilities against eight bosses in a rock-paper-scissors scenario. After defeating the robot masters, in any order the player decides, Mega Man enters Dr. Willy’s castle; a gauntlet of four stages (that no save code can pause) and a final multi-tiered showdown with the maniacal mustached scientist himself. This is the synopsis of all Mega Man games but MM3 separates itself by improving the controls, characters, clashes and environment.

In this battle, Mega Man is joined by a faithful robot canine called Rush. Rush is able to transform into a spring to assist with difficult jumps, a turbo jet to fly over levels or a submarine to ease water navigation. These abilities expand the non-linear possibilities open to players and turn the previously used gadgets into a personality and ally in the battle against evil.

This entry introduces Mega Man’s evil(?) ally(?) Protoman. Protoman confronts Mega as a mini-boss in half of the stages and later helps him in the final confrontation against Willy. The ambiguous ally has his own motivations throughout the conflict and remains a fan-favorite of the series. Capcom almost made his older brother more popular than the protagonist himself.

Besides new allies in his battle, Mega Man is equipped with additional tools himself. Mega Man can slide. It sounds like a simple change but it expands the choices available to players. When an attack is incoming, you can either jump or slide to avoid it. In later stages there are varying attacks which require Mega to move from one form of transportation to the next. Sliding is quicker than walking or jumping, but Mega Man is unable to attack while his butt is on the ground.

The stages varying greatly in MM3 and contain some of the most unique boss battles in the series. After defeating the eight robot masters, Mega Man confronts four new foes in remastered versions of the previous stages. These levels take the familiar landscape previously traversed and up the anti with more death spikes, pitfalls, enemies and laser beams. Instead of fighting a robot master, Mega will face the ‘ghost’ of a previous rival. This honoring of the past plays out great to fans, even as the series continues to blast forward.

MM3 introduced key gameplay mechanics and characters to the franchise that remain hallmarks today. The third entry is the perfect mix of familiar mechanics, enhanced gameplay, memorable music and an epic (for a NES game) story. Some fans will continue to argue that MM2 is the premier entry but in their hearts they know that MM3 was the power-up this series needed to be remembered forever.